Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
October 30, 2024
Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 4:16

What beautiful fall weather we are experiencing in my community. So many houses decorated for Halloween, others simply pumpkins and Fall foliage. Me, I have roses, that’s it. Just roses and I love it. It seems after pruning earlier this year, even though I thought I did too much pruning, the roses responded and wow! They are beautiful. I was out cutting a few pretty buds to share with a friend when I felt the Lord tug at my heart as if to say; “Couldn’t you use some fresh flowers on your table?”

You see, we had a lovey bouquet of flowers given to us recently, a way to say, “thank you” and “we love you”. But over the past week and a half, many of them were dying, so I cut some of our roses and incorporated these blossoms of beauty into what remains in the bouquet. Suddenly, I felt like I was healing a bit more from a recent family loss as well as sympathizing with other families and even our community who has experienced loss of loved ones.

Like the roses on my table, I needed some fresh expressions of God’s care. I decided to thank God for all the beauty he allows me to experience in my family, church and friends, even when life seems difficult and confusing.

 Our text from Philippians tells us that we need not be anxious or worried about anything, but to seek the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving, and He will give us His peace, a peace that goes beyond anything we can understand. I am so amazed how even in the midst of situations far beyond my understanding, God offers me peace that also goes beyond my understanding. Our text from Hebrews tells us; “Let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”.

Every one of us has something affecting our lives that goes beyond reason and understanding. Every one of us can help someone find that grace and peace by boldly going to God in prayer and listen for the Holy Spirit to guide us in tangible expressions of love and mercy. I have a dear friend in ministry that reminds me often that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. She recently had an Aha moment while worshipping and it came to her, and I share it with you to pass along; “It’s a simple Gospel; we have a friend in Jesus”. I think that just might be a blossom of beauty to lift someone’s spirit today.

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
October 23, 2024
Psalm 63:6-8

It’s a strange thing to experience a dark time in my soul and yet be living in a very bright and cheery environment. I guess I get to experience a lot of what I call Ironic Interventions from God. He seems to allow for me to feel the darkness even in the light. I think it is a safe bet for me to assume that many of you who are reading this have felt the same way. Life throws at you some heavy darkness and you get to choose to live in it, or just pass through it. Either way, it is painful and stressful, but I recommend seeking God’s light in His Word and as the old hymn says; “When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory he sheds on our way…” (“Trust and Obey” by James H. Sammis).

It seems night time is the hardest time to get away from the dark thoughts of grief and sorrow, but I have found that If I rely on the Holy Spirit to give me a scripture to sing, I can move myself out of myself and into the arms of God, where my soul truly rests even while I am here on earth. The concept of the soul, nephesh in Hebrew, Is, that this is the true essence of a person, or I like to say to my grandkids, It’s the really you part of you that will move on to heaven when we die, as we trust in the Lord for salvation and eternal life.

You may have blue eyes like your mother, or red hair like your great grandfather, or a temper like your uncle, but there is one part of you that is unlike anyone else, and that is your soul. Because you were “fearfully and wonderfully made” by our creator God with a unique soul, it stands to reason you should be careful to protect it. Don’t allow for the dark times in this life to harm the light of Christ within you. I’m thinking I am really writing this for myself, but I hope it helps you as well.

Our text for today reads; “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me”. If you are having some trouble sleeping at night try to remember that from the moment you were being formed in your mother’s womb to the very moment you are experiencing trouble of any kind, God is with you, and because of that, I can say, and I hope you can say; “It is well with my soul”. Maybe I will sing that tonight .

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
October 9, 2024
Isaiah 40:28-29

I woke up this morning with a beautiful hymn singing in my head; “My Faith Looks Up To Thee” written by Ray Palmer in the mid 1800’s. I looked it up in my hymn devotional; “The One Year Book of Hymns” and found the scripture from Isaiah as inspiration;

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless”.

As with you, I have been very concerned about those who find themselves facing record breaking storms. At the same time, many are facing terrible effects of war, and closer still are those who have been given a bad diagnosis from their doctors. Sometimes, I want to run away and hide, but where can I go to get away from the fear, the worry, and the sorrow?

I decided to pray and sing and I discovered I had hope restored. Now, I can hear the Spirit speak and direct me in ways to help and pray for those who are hurting so badly.

If you find yourself struggling to deal with sorrow and worry, I pray this stanza from the hymn will help you refocus; “While life’s dark maze I tread and griefs around me spread, be Thou my guide; Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away, nor let me ever stray from Thee aside”.

I will close with a quote from my desk calendar from Friday the fourth of October; “Sorrow looks back. Worry looks round. Faith looks up” (Barbara Johnson, “Splashes of Joy” copyright 2006).

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
October 3, 2024, 2024

Today we come to the ninth fruit of the Spirit; Self-Control. The Greek word, Enkrateia, means to have a great force under control. In our common English, it means “control of one’s feelings, desires or actions by one’s own will” (Webster’s II New Riverside University Dictionary). There is a big difference between the Greek understanding of self-control; which the Apostle Paul uses in his letter to the Galatians, and our American English understanding of self-control. The difference is in who has the control.

To be in relationship with Christ Jesus is to be willing to submit to the control of the Holy Spirit. This is the counselor and helper that Jesus promised his followers (John 14:25-26). Apart from that relationship, we are on our own and have only our own willpower to overcome temptation. One of the many temptations humans face is the way we speak with and about others. James, the brother of Jesus, writes; “With our tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” (James 3:9-10).

I found a little poem by Louisa May Alcott that puts it very well; “A little Kingdom I possess, where thoughts and feelings dwell; And very hard the task I find of governing it well. I do not ask for any crown but that which all may win; Nor try to conquer any world except the one within”. I will end this meditation with the prompting of Paul’s words in Galatians 5:25; “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”.

Amen!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
September 24, 2024
Genesis 1:31, Revelation 4:11

Genesis 1:31 tells us; “Now, God saw all he had made and it was very good”, not just good but “very good”. In the book of the Revelation we read; “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being”. So, what happened? Why does everything seem so messed up? One answer I have been given was that in His infinite mercy, God gave humankind the gift of free will. Some might say that this proves why they don’t believe in God, why should they if He, who knows everything, is everywhere present, and all powerful lets his own creation destroy itself. Tough one, for sure, but I have hope.

Lewis goes on to say; “Of course God knew what would happen if they used their freedom the wrong way: apparently He thought it worth the risk. Perhaps we feel inclined to disagree with Him. But there is a difficulty about disagreeing with God”. What comes to your mind when you consider what this difficulty might be? Are you thinking that no matter how we feel about what God is or is not doing, He will do what He sees best anyway? OK, makes sense, but it doesn’t help me feel his love. C.S. Lewis puts it this way; “He is the source from which all your reasoning power comes…when you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all: it is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on”. Notice he did not say that arguing with God is bad, he just said that it is a useless and maybe even harmful activity, and yet I believe God would much rather have us arguing with him as not communicating with Him at all. Yes, I have been there many times, and most likely will be in the position of disagreeing with God in the future, but hopefully as I draw closer to Him in His word, in prayer and in worship, I will find less and less reason to argue with Him.

How about you? When you find you are angry and arguing with God, keep the conversation two way; in other words, take time to listen to Him. Listen for His Holy Spirit to guide you through the trouble. Feeling guilty about disagreeing with God doesn’t help you hear from Him. Simply speak with Him. He’s as close as the air you use to argue with Him.

Amen!

FYI – next week I will pick up on the final fruit of the Spirit in our series “Nine Fruits of the Spirit” by Robert Strand. We will look into the fruit of “Self-Control”.

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
September 18, 2024
Matthew 11:28-29

Today we are looking at the Fruit of The Spirit known as Gentleness. Another word that is often used is Meekness. The Greek word for this means to have an attitude of kindness, not harshness. A Quiet and peaceful presence. Gleaning from the little devotional I have been using these past weeks; “Nine Fruits of the Spirit” by Robert Strand, I came across this description which I think phrases it well: “Gentleness is not weakness! The truly meek person is one whose life has been empowered by the Spirit of God which comes from faith that has been energized by the Word of God!” Strand goes on to explain how this particular characteristic is very attached to our relationships. I would say it is in the day to day dealings with those around us that offers the greatest opportunities to either be fruitful or fruitless. Here’s another tidbit from Robert Strand; “This is not a spineless kind of wandering-about in relationships, but a solid force which causes us to stand and do the will of God in the face of every obstacle…gentleness/meekness is not putting down of self with an affected false sense of humility, rather it is a tough, free, confident kid of characteristic”.

Jesus said; “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”. I love this passage as a comfort and opportunity. A reminder for me to stop looking at the things that burden me as temptations to harden my heart, or be critical of others, but to look to Christ and his example. When I do this, I find myself praying less, “Lord, fix this for me”, and more praying “Lord, fix me in this”.

“Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings; every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by”. I bet some of you could finish this little chorus from the Hymn “Count Your Blessings” written by Johnson Oatman Jr.

Sing On!

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
September 11, 2024
Hebrews 10:23-25

Today is a day of remembrance for many in our nation. A day to reflect and pray on the events resulting from horrible acts of terrorism, as well as the outpouring of love and faith in acts of mercy and care from complete strangers as well as family and friends.

It is fitting then, that this is the day we take a closer look at the fruit of the Spirit known as Faithfulness. The Greek word for this is an active word that demonstrates steadfastness, loyalty, and trust. It is in faithfulness that God demonstrates His unending and unwavering commitment to His children. Hebrews 10:23-25 gives us a directive in how to live in Faithfulness; “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching”.

Robert Strand gives this little nugget of wisdom concerning Faithfulness in his little devotional “Nine Fruits of the Spirit”; “God is the source and standard of faithfulness which He has demonstrated in His dealings with the human race. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ models this same kind of faithfulness in relationships with His followers. The Holy Spirit is ready to bring this trait of character to full maturity in your life and mine so that we, too, can be counted on to be faithful in all circumstances with all our relationships”.

In my youth, I heard a song entitled “Find us Faithful”, and as I have aged and hopefully matured, it strikes me even more as a challenge. I hope you catch a bit of this same challenge in the chorus; “Oh may all who come behind us, find us, faithful. May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe and the lives we live inspire them to obey. Oh may all who come behind us, find us faithful”.

Amen

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
September 4, 2024
Acts 10:36-38, Romans 7:18, Matthew 12:33-35

As we look at the Fruit of the Spirit today; the fruit of Goodness, I would like for us to take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to each of us what good there is around us, and then ask what good can we, as individuals, share with those around us. Pause and Pray.

Now, let’s define Goodness. The Greek word that was originally used in our texts for today is Agathos, which means, to have a character or constitution that will be beneficial in its effect on others. Our text from the book of Acts states that Jesus went around doing good. He was actively engaged in healing and meeting true needs of the people. Our text from Romans 7 has the Apostle Paul crying out: “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out”. Jesus give the remedy for this dilemma in our text from Matthew 12; “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit”. I am finding a connection here with a life verse my Grandson recites; Psalm 1:1-2; “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers”.

Robert Strand reminds us in his devotional Nine Fruits of the Spirit: “ I remind you that fruit is something that grows under cultivation of the Spirit in your life. It’s a process, a daily commitment, a daily discipline, a daily application of the biblical truth. Every day, in some small and sometimes very significant way, we should all be changing into His likeness” (Goodness - pg. 36). You and I are trees planted by streams of living waters when we receive Christ as Lord and commit ourselves to follow Him. If you feel as if you have been uprooted by something, the Master Gardener, the creator and sustainer of all things can transplant and transform you. I know because He has done that for me time and time again. Life has some serious storms that can pull you and me away from His plan, but the good news is He can and He will and He does respond to our request to plant us firmly again and that is sooooo Good!

Amen